Public profession of faith

between the activities

of post-graduate divinity students from the US and Christian revival

in the Banchory area or that such forces were or are invalid (September

5).

Further, to suggest that I am remote from ''grassroots'' Christianity

in Banchory or that I am unaware of what is happening in my ''own

backyard'' is just rubbish and unworthy of rebuttal.

And in what way does the Church of Scotland want to burden its members

with a ''mantle of guilt''. I can certainly read of such a burden in the

''Basis of Faith'' of the so-called Evangelical Alliance, with its

references to ''God's wrath and condemnation [and] the guilt and power

of sin, and . . . its eternal consequences''.

I am unaware of such a burden in the Church of Scotland's worship of

''one God, almighty, all-wise, and all-loving'': a commitment from

which, as part of our First Article Declaratory, neither our Church nor

any individual minister or other elder is at liberty to depart.

And how can anyone who has any experience of the rich variety of forms

of worship in the Church of Scotland -- and with the Rev. John L. Bell

as convener of its Panel on Worship -- describe its worship, and not

least in Banchory, as ''stale'' or lacking ''a real feeling of joy'',

etc.? Perhaps, for example, Mr Morrison has not heard of my own part in

recently leading one of our informal early Sunday morning family

services in the West Parish. And I much appreciated the kindly comments

thereafter of two regular participants in Sunday Night Live.

I have attended three meetings of Sunday Night Live, including the two

which were combined with our own evening service in the West Parish; I

have taken part in a church-based house group led by one of the

post-graduate students from the US and, in one small way and another, I

have not been unhelpful towards the other initiatives with which Mr

Morrison is apparently associated.

Further, I am not unaware of the sacrifices which many young

Christians make in the service of Christ and His Church. Our son (a

qualified solicitor) is ''the local Church member currently serving as a

volunteer with the Church of Scotland in Israel'', and I know only too

well the extent of self-denial involved.

Finally, it is my hope that all our current local ''conventional'' and

ad hoc efforts in Christian education, worship, and associated outreach

will result in very significant numbers of young people of all ages

coming forward to make public profession of their faith and of their

continuing commitment to Christ and His Church.

When that happens, and only when that happens -- as a regular feature

of morning worship -- we shall know that God has indeed thus richly

blessed our churches in Banchory.

Alexander S. Waugh,

27 Wilson Road,

Banchory.